Victoria secretly levied public transport fares for 19 months to fund Suburban Rail Loop

Victoria's Auditor-General revealed on 26 August 2026 that the state government imposed a 1% annual levy on all public transport fares from 1 January 2025, directing 60% of revenue (estimated $4.8bn to 2062) to the Suburban Rail Loop. Neither the government nor Transport Victoria disclosed the levy in fare announcements for 2025 or 2026.